Spark-intensifier



1 W. BROAD.

SPARK INTENSIFIER.

APPLICATION r1150 SEPT. 30. 1920.

1,391,239. Pa emedsept. 20,1921.

W/ TA/ESSES WILLIAM BROAD, OI BEAVER FALLS,

PENNSYLVANIA, ABSIGNOR OF THREE- IO'UR'IHS TO HARRY E. MOLAIN, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

srmx-mrnnsu'mn.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 20, 1921.

Application filed September 80, 1920. Serial No. 413,939.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known, that I, WVILLIAM BROAD, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Beaver Falls, in the county of Beaver and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in SparkiIntensifiers, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to automobiles which are provided with internal combustion engines for propellingthem, and has particularly to do with the ignition for such engines.

It has been proposed to connect an elec tric condenser to an ignition circuit between the source of electrical supply and the engine for the purpose of producing larger ignition sparks. The difliculty experienced with such use of a condenser is that the ignition is not benefited during all conditions of service.

The spark which results from the use of a condenser is thicker and hotter than a spark produced, under similar conditions without a condenser, and, because of its increased thickness and greater heat, the spark effects a more nearly complete combustion of an explosive charge. However, it has been found that, in using a condenser, there will frequently be no spark when there is abnormallg high compression in the engine cylinder. t appears that the current modified by a condenser does not have suflicient strength to cause a spark to jump from one terminal to another of. a spark plug when the medium through which the spark must pass is highly compressed or condensed.

The condition under which the ignition will so fail is chiefly, if not solely, when a car is ascending a hill and particularly when the engine is running at high speed and transmission is through a low gear train. During normal running conditions, such as when running on level ground or ascending an incline which isnot sufiiciently steep to demand extraordinary power froman engine, the condenser-modified sparks effect such complete and certain combustion of the fuel that reatly increased mileage per unit volume 0 fuel results. However, the advantage thus gained by the use of a condenser is largely ofiset when traveling through hilly nite,

country because of frequent failures to igmobile proceeds on level ground or a hill of low grade.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying sheet of drawings of which Figure 1 is a plan view of a condenser attached to an automobile; Fig. 2, a vertical central sectional view of the condenser, the plane of view being indicated by line IIII, Fig.

1; Fig. 3,, a diagrammatic representation of an'ignition circuit for an automobile and condenser connected to the circuit; and Fig. 4, a side view of a portion of an automobile illustrating the general position of the condenser with relation to the automobile.

In the practice of the invention, a condenser is electrically connected to an ignition circuit between the source of electric current supply and an internal combustion engine of an automobile, and means are provided for automatically disconnecting the condenser from the circuit when the automobile ascends a steep hill. As far as some features of the invention are concerned, the condenser may be of any desired t pe of various points to the ignition circuit. If desired, a single condenser may be used for construction and it may be attac ed at.

the entire circuit or a separate condenser may be connected to each of the several conductors leading! to the spark lplugs. Whil various means may be used for automatically disconnecting the condenser from the circuit, it is. preferred to use a gravity switch for this purpose.

In the illustrative" embodiment of the invention, the condenser and the gravity switch for disconnecting it from the ignition circuit are, for simplicity in construction,

cheapness in cost and effectiveness in operation, combined in a slngle structure, the

preferred form of which is illustrated in" metalcap 3. The condenser is formed upon and the switch with n 541011 tube, the condenser elements comprising a pair of separately insulated conducting wires 4 and 5 wound spirally and adjacent to each other upon the tube. One of the condenser elements, in this case the conducting wire 4', is electrically connected to one terminal of the gravity switch, which terminal is illustrated as consisting of a metal sleeve 6 arranged within the tube 1. The other end of the wire 4 is adjacent to, but not in contact with the metal cap 3. The second of the condenser elements, namely, the conducting wire 5, is electrically connected at 7 to the metal cap 1,- through which it may be grounded, and extends spirally upon the tube 1 to a point adjacent to the cap 2. Thus, each of the condenser elements has but a single electrical connection to a conducting member, the condenser element 4 being connected only to the switch terminal 6 and the element 5 to the metal cap 3. When functioning as a condenser, the insulation of the wires 4 and 5 serve as the dielectric between the two conductors.

Havin reference now to the gravity switch illustrated herein, one terminal thereof comprises the sleeve 6, as previously explained, and the other terminal is formed by the head of a screw 8 which extends through the central portion of the cap 2. The movable member of the switch is a metal ball 9, which, in the full line position indicated in Fig. 2, affords a path of electrical continuity between the screw 8 and the sleeve 6. The screw 8 may be suitably connected to a conductor or lead 10 whereby the condenser may be electrically connected to an ignition circuit. For connecting the conductor 10 to the screw 8, a metal sleeve 11 may be soldered or sweated upon the exposed adjacent ends of such members, and thereafter, the pocket formed in the end of the cap 2 may be sealed by wax or other suitable material. The condenser may be inclosed in a tube 30 of insulating material, to which tube the end caps 2 and 3 are attached.

When installed, the combined condenser and switch structure is attached to an automobile in uch position that the axis of the structure extends longitudinally of the automobile and is inclined downwardly from the general horizontal line of extent of an automobile, the cap 2 of the structure being foremost. This general position of the structure is diagrammatically represented in Fig. 4, which shows the axis'12 thereof as inclined downwardly from the general horizontal line of extent 13 of an automobile 14. In this figure the condenser and switch structure is illustrated to a much larger scale than is the automobile. In actual construction the condenser and switch may, by way of example, be two or three inches long and it may be attached to any suitable part of an automobile provided its general osition with relation tothe automobile is suc as indicated in Fig. 4.

As long as the automobile is running on a roadway, which, due to its grade or inclination, maintains the axis 12 inclined below the horizontal, the ball 9 will maintain closed the circuit through the conductor 10 and the condenser element 4, and hence durin such time the condenser will be electrica 1y connected to the ignition circuit. When the automobile ascends a hill of such inclination that the switch axis 12 inclines above the horizontal, the ball 9 will roll to the rear end of the tube 1, thereby breaking the circuit between the screw 8 and sleeve 6, and hence cutting the condenser out of circuit. Thus, the condenser may be maintained in electrical connection with the ignition circuit until such time as the engine of the automobile is required to run under the condition which most fre uently results in high cylinder pressure. hen this condition arises, the condenser becomes automaticalply disconnected from the ignition circuit.

or different automobiles and for differend road conditions, the most advantageous inclination to the horizontal of the switch axis 12 will vary. To the end that the position of the switch may be readily adjusted to that which is most advantageous, the condenser and switch structure is preferably attached to an adjustable bracket, which, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, may comprise arms 15 and 16 pivotally connected to each other by a bolt 17 and thumb nut 18. The arm 15 may be connected to the metal cap 3 by means of a screw 19, and the arm 16 to -a suitable metal part'20 of the automobile by means of screws 21. By such connections, the condenser element 5 may be suitably grounded. The bracket 15, 16 may be and an engine 25, the spark plugs of which are connected by conductors 26, 27, 28 and 29 to the several terminals of the timer. A single condenser is here shown as being electrically connected, through conductor 10 to the conductor 24 leading from the dynamo 22 to the timer 23, the condenser serving to modify the sparks of each of the several spark plugs of the engine. It will be understoodi however, that the condenser may be insta led otherwise than as indicated in Fig. 3 and that, if desired, more than one condenser may be used.

.According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have described the principle and operation of my invention, together with the structure which I now consider to re resent the best embodiment thereof. owever, I desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced by other forms of construction than that specifically shown and described herein.

I claim:

1. The combination with an automobile provided with an internal combustion engine for propelling it, a source of electric current supply, and an ignition circuit between the engine and current supply; of a condenser electrically connected to said circuit, said connection including a gravity switch adapted to disconnect the condenser from the circuit when the automobile ascends a hill.

2. The combination with an automobile provided with an internal combustion engine for propelling it, a source of electric current supp and an ignition circuit between the engine and current supply; of a condenser electrically connected to said circuit, said connection including a movable circuit closer automatically movable from circuit closing position when the automobile ascends a hill.

3. The combination with an automobile provided with an internal combustion engine for propelling it, a source of electric current supply, and an ignition circuit between the engine and current supply; of a condenser electrically connected to said circuit, said connection including a switch having a pair of terminals, a guide adjacent to said terminals and inclined to the longitudinal line of extent of the automobile, and a switch-closing element movable in said guide under the force of gravity, whereby the condenser becomes automatically disconnected from said ignition circuit when the automobile ascends a hill.

4. The combination with an automobile provided with an internal combustion engine for propelling it, a source of electric current supp and an ignition circuit between the engine and current supply; of a condenser electrically connected to said circuit, said connection including a switch hav.- ing a pair of terminals, a guide adjacent to said terminals and inclined to the horizontal line of extent of the automobile, a switchclosing element movable in said guide under the force of gravity, and means for adjusting the inclination of said guide.

5. An electric condenser comprising a tube closed at its ends, a contactor arranged centrally of the tube at one end thereof, a second contactor within and attached to the wall of said tube, a condenser element electrically connected to one of said contactors, and a circuit closing member movable in said tube to and from a position closing a circuit through said contactors.

6. An electric condenser comprising a tube closed at its ends, two electrically disconnected insulated conductors wound spirally upon said tube and forming a pair of condenser elements, a contactor arranged centrally of the tube at one end thereof, a second contactor within and attached to the wall of said tube and electrically connected to one of said condenser elements, and a ball of' electrical conducting material movable in said tube to and from a position closing a circuit through said contactors.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM BROAD. 

